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Writing on the wall…I mean fruit

Last night, I was going through my usual channel surfing routine on the television before bed. Bravo had Crocodile Dundee, ehh, next! Food Network…Unwrapped, not my favorite, but it’ll do for another second while I answer an instant message on the computer. I looked up again to switch to USA (I know, pretty random, it’s new on my lineup, I like their “Starter Wife” series,) when a segment about labeling fruit caught my eye.

Sounds realllllly interesting, right? “Fruit labeling! Stop the presses!” But actually, it was. You see, this wasn’t about your slapped on stickers that you’ll often see stuck to the skin of an apple or a nectarine. It was about a laser that “carved” out an image of an expiration date from the skin of many a fruit.

I think at one point they were actually nicknamed fruit tattoos.

Here is a picture of a tattooed vegetable from Hydroponics, a company that makes the laser machines:

Would you eat a fruit or vegetable that appeared to have writing on it? Machine producers make many a claim that there is no harm in the labeling, it is not an ink, but rather a carving of the outer layer of skin to produce a color difference. Still, they address, it make freak some out.

It does freak me out a bit, but I have a feeling I’ll get used to it. Thoughts?

Hmm, yeah, I am not too comfortable with this, although it will cut down on waste. When i arrange slices of pepper on a serving tray for guests, I don’t want that messing with the aesthetics. But then again, maybe my guests will fight over the piece that says “green pepper.”

MaxineGlass

I think it’s great! I think I’ve seen this before, but much less conspicuous. Maybe smaller font wouldn’t be so scary. I hate when the sticker gets stuck to my fruit and then peels the skin off!

I agree with Caley that this wouldn’t be good for presentations (but I can imagine people hunting for the printed pieces, myself included). However, I hate those little stickers with a passion. They get stuck everywhere and the adhesive can’t be too healthy. Not to mention many foods (i.e., peaches) are damaged when the sticker is removed anyway. The laser etching would also be a nice assurance of the food’s country of origin. My only real concern is whether the etching causes the food to become carcinogenic (just speculation, I don’t even know if that’s plausible). Overall it’s pretty cool.

http://www.recipe4living.com Hillary Marshak

Thank you everyone for their feedback. Caley and MrCoffee, you make great points! I agree I wouldn’t want a piece of a word in my veggie platter at a party! That’s a downside of the new process I, and I’m sure the manufacturers, didn’t think about!